[HOW TO] Tether your iPhone: EDGE internet on your laptop

[Jeff]

cre.ations.net has posted instructions on how you can run SOCKS on a jailbroken iPhone, making it technically possible to tether your laptop to an iPhone and access the internet via Cingular's EDGE network.

Personally, the performance I usually get on the EDGE network is worse than dial-up, but I can think of occasions where I don't have wifi access and it would be nice to be able to do this.

Though most of the time, I'd probably just use my iPhone. It's got my email, web access, etc. already!

Click here to learn how...

[Yahooligan]

You must be joking. Why would anyone want to do this on EDGE? EDGE is the dark cloud over an otherwise great product (the iPhone). I'm gonna wait until they release the 3G/4G iPhone before I even consider buying one.

[David]

Originally Posted by Yahooligan

You must be joking. Why would anyone want to do this on EDGE?

Because the iPhone is a closed device, and Safari isn't perfect. Because you can't send a zip file from the iPhone? This is perfectly valid--albeit very old.

I'm gonna wait until they release the 3G/4G iPhone before I even consider buying one.

Then how can you even judge a product you don't have? EDGE works fine.

[detn8r]

I've tethered by Blackberry using 1X on Telus' network and got amazing speed. I usually connect at 28.8kbps with my dial up, and was getting 115.2kbps with 1X.

I don't have any experience with GSM phones, as Canada only has one carrier, which is Rogers -- and I wouldn't touch their crap with a 10 foot pole.

[David]

Originally Posted by detn8r

I've tethered by Blackberry using 1X on Telus' network and got amazing speed. I usually connect at 28.8kbps with my dial up, and was getting 115.2kbps with 1X.

I don't have any experience with GSM phones, as Canada only has one carrier, which is Rogers -- and I wouldn't touch their crap with a 10 foot pole.

EDGE is generally around ~140kbps, though it can vary from very slow, to around 400k. You should be getting FAR speed on 1xEV, are you sure you aren't using 1xRTT?

[Fanatic]

This brings up a good, albeit somewhat offtopic issue. Anyone know of some good resources for testing connection speed on a wireless device?

On my PC, I've always used the speed tests at broadbandreports.com Is there something similar for mobile devices?

[Gandalf]

There is a bunch of speed test tools, including for iPhone's and other mobiles, at speedtest.dslreports.com